Best Columbus Coffee Roasters
Capitol. City. Coffee.
Even in a state with so many independent roasters, there’s nothing quite like the Columbus coffee scene! Here are our favorite small-batch, independent roasters and where to find ’em.
Jennings Java
One of the most highly rated roasters in town, and a partner of Ohio Coffee Club, Jennings Java ethically sources some of their beans from areas off the traditional beaten trail for roasters such as Myanmar and Thailand! The crew at Jennings are frequently visiting these parts of the world to meet with their coffee growers too, which we love.
Operating out of their store in Merion Village, they have a range of blends and single origins that draw flavors from these unique regions, as well as their specialized bottled cold brew. ‘The Bear’ is a highly touted banana bread latte cold brew creation, as well as the wonderfully named ‘Cereal Killer.’
Fruits and Roots
We’re proud to have Fruits and Roots as one of our suppliers. As well as roasting great light to medium beans that highlight the fruity flavors of the regions she gets her beans from, Nicky takes her mobile coffee cart all over Columbus for pop-ups and events.
Nicky is super passionate about her roasting process, and the name ‘Fruits and Roots’ comes from her ability to highlight natural, fruity flavors with her roasts such as the popular Jasmine Honey roast, sourced ethically from Nicaragua.
We’re looking forward to featuring her roasts in our upcoming partnership. Also, a moment for Fruits and Roots’ clean coffee bag branding. C’est bon.
Thunderkiss
Like a lot of the roasters on this list, Jason at Thunderkiss Coffee embodies the DIY spirit of roasting beans. He started this thing in his garage, after all!
Now, they carry plenty of variety of roasts sourced from everywhere from Antigua to Burundi, and even have a special cold brew blend.
Jason has been doing his own thing in Columbus for a while, and the origins of Thunderkiss being born out of a passion for not wanting to go back to corporate America definitely ring true to this day, with “big coffee” trying to insert itself everywhere.
Safe to say, we’re proud to have Thunderkiss as one of our featured roasters!
Royal Flamingo
FOLLOW ‘EM: @royalflamingocoffee
FAMOUS FOR: Constantly rotating seasonal roasts
An adventurous roaster, their coffees have taken home international awards, and we’re stoked to announce Royal Flamingo is a partner of ours too! They’re constantly coming out with new, exciting roasts based on the seasonal beans they source, and their physical coffee shop was recently ranked the #2 independent coffee shop in the US.
For our partnership, they supplied our local coffee subscription members with really interesting flavor profiles: the India Ratnagiri light/medium roast, and the Burundi Busambo #15 light roast. Sourcing from rich coffee regions off the beaten track is always a sign of a good roaster.
Actually, they’re one of our favorite coffee club brand logos too. Look at that flamingo looking all royal!
One Line Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @onelinecoffee
FAMOUS FOR: Sourcing from under-the-radar regions to create special roasts
One Line has been one of the bigger emerging names in the scene over the past few years. At their store in the Short North, you can get an ethically-sourced blend or single origin. They roast with fruity notes.
Brioso
FOUNDED: 2001
FOLLOW ‘EM: @briosocoffee
Their coffee shop in the Discovery District also serves as the spiritual home for some classic roasts that have come out of Columbus in the past few decades.
They’ve had long-term partnerships with coffee importers like Cafe Imports and Royal Coffee, helping their roasts be not only consistent, but ethical too. They have single origin and blends with beans sourced from Ethiopia to Guatemala.
Black Kahawa
FOUNDED: 2019
FOLLOW ‘EM: @blackkahawa
One of the more unique origin stories of the Columbus roast scene is Black Kahawa. Founder Douglas began roasting beans when he was stationed in Tanzania doing humanitarian work. He returned to Columbus and founded Black Kahawa, and all their blends use beans from Tanzania and his strong relationships with local coffee growers there.
Ramble Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @ramblecoffee
Boasting one of the more chic mobile coffee carts you’ll see in Columbus, Ramble can often be found setting up at the Global Gallery as well as various markets throughout town.
Stauf’s
FOUNDED: 1988
FOLLOW ‘EM: @staufs_coffee
One would be remiss from excluding a Columbus staple from this list! Arguably the “OG” of local coffee in these parts, Stauf’s still have a great reputation to this day.
Be sure to check out our guide to the best Cleveland coffee roasters if you’re looking for great beans in NE Ohio too!
